Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hammersmith and Fulham · London
Alcove units in Walham Green, Hammersmith and Fulham
Alcove units in Walham Green: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
Alcove units in Walham Green
How we make alcove units for Walham Green
Alcove units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in the colour you choose. People normally come to us about a desk that tucks into an alcove and everyday clutter left on show; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Ceilings in homes built before 1919 are often taller than in later houses, and a large share of the homes around Walham Green date from then. Full-height alcove units can run up to the picture rail or the cornice, so the furniture looks as if it belongs to the house. Blocked fireplaces are common too, and a capped chimney should still be ventilated before anything is built against it.
The written quote is your record of the job. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it is made from and how it’s finished.
- Place
- Walham Green (SW6, SW10, SW11)
- Borough
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
The depth of an alcove is set by the chimney breast. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. We set the depth to suit the room, whether that is flush with the breast or a little shallower. Off-the-shelf furniture is made for flat walls and level floors, which older houses rarely have, so it leaves gaps at the wall, tilts on sloping floors or sits awkwardly against skirting and picture rails. Fitted pieces follow the wall and sit level.
Every room is priced on its own, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. Spray painting and hand painting are different processes, which affects the cost. You’ll see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
Why work with us in Walham Green
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- Every quote follows a design visit
Take a look at our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Alcove units in Walham Green: local notes
In the area around Walham Green, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 54%) and the years since 2000 (about 21%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Walham Green include Sandford Manor House (Grade II*), less than half a mile east, and Gasholder No 2 (Grade II*), under half a mile east. For a listed home, changes inside that alter its character can need listed building consent from the council, for instance removing or fixing into original panelling. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. About 25% of households in the area around Walham Green live in flats in converted or shared houses, going by Census 2021 figures from the ONS. Conversions often leave rooms in unusual shapes, with partition walls, boxed-in pipes and chimney breasts in odd places, and the way in often goes up shared stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
Carlyle's House, about 1 mile north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. If your home is one of the older houses near Church of St John, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. Living in a block of flats near Imperial Wharf station? Then check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in.
Walham Green is about 1 mile west of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Whether your home in Walham Green is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. We list Walham Green among 16 places we cover in Hammersmith and Fulham.
We work across SW6, SW10 and SW11 for alcove units. Whether you live on a street like Farm Lane, Lots Road and Epple Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Main roads around Walham Green include the A304, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Chelsea Harbour (1 mile south-east), Parsons Green (1 mile south-west), World's End (1 mile north-east), Sands End (1 mile south-east) and West Brompton (1 mile north). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Hammersmith (2 miles north-west), Shepherd's Bush (2 miles north-west), Brackenbury Village (2 miles north-west), White City (3 miles north-west), Brook Green (2 miles north-west) and College Park (4 miles north-west). Walham Green is among the bigger places we cover in Hammersmith and Fulham.
What’s near Walham Green
Our area takes in the homes around Natural History Museum Library and Archives, Langford Primary School and The Rose pub, among other places. Walham Green has its own railway station: Imperial Wharf station. Well-known places in the area include Chelsea Stadium Tour And Museum (under half a mile north) and Putney Exchange (1.5 miles south-west).
Could you do it yourself?
Cost matters, and it’s fair to say so: flat-pack is usually cheaper to buy. Bespoke earns its place where the room is awkward, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
The real difference is in the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
Neighbourhoods near Walham Green
More for homes in Walham Green
Questions from Walham Green
Can you make alcove units for a home in Walham Green?
Yes. Walham Green is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Hammersmith and Fulham and London. To get started, you can get in touch through our contact form with a few details.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Walham Green?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. A van may need a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to let us know about parking during the design visit.
Should I send photos?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot, especially with rough measurements. To send them, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
We don’t do electrical work. New or moved sockets are a job for your electrician, ideally before fitting, and some electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. We can plan cut-outs and cable routes in the units around them.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Inside a house, fitted furniture does not normally need planning permission. If the building is listed, works affecting its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It depends on the room and the look you want. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice. The height is settled at the measuring visit.
Materials and finishes
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides. Its moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice beside a chimney breast.
Hand-painted finish
With a hand-painted finish, you see the colour in your own light before the final coat. It also means any filling around scribed edges is painted in one go.
What happens on fitting day
With the carcasses fixed and level, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. On fitting day in an older house, the main job is scribing to walls and levelling on floors that slope, so there’s some trimming and adjusting on site. We protect the floors and keep dust to a minimum. It’s useful to tell us about parking at the design visit, as terraced streets are often busy.
- You get in touch with a short description of the alcoves and your ideas.
- At the design visit, we measure both alcoves, check the walls and look at the skirting and picture rail. We also talk through heights, doors and shelves.
- You receive a quote with the design, the materials and the paint finish.
- The cupboards and shelves are then built in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- Fitting day: the units go in, are scribed to the alcoves and levelled on a plinth or feet.
Before fitting day
- Let us know about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
Getting a quote
A quote begins with some details from you: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you are ready, send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a written quote.
Related advice
When you need someone else
We don’t treat damp or carry out building work, so these points are worth knowing:
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can use our contact form and we will tell you before you arrange a visit. How it works.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Panelled or flat doors
- Hand-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF